PMRC: central figures, costs and timeline
An internal concept note for the Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) scheme lists funding and structure details, including support of about ₹4 crore for Young Research Fellows, ₹6.5 crore for Senior Research Fellows and ₹14 crore for Research Chairs.
PMRC funding and categories
The scheme budgets three researcher categories. Young Research Fellows are early-career academics and postdocs; Senior Research Fellows are mid-career researchers with an applied or industry focus; Research Chairs are global academic or scientific leaders.
| Category | Approx. total support |
|---|---|
| Young Research Fellow | ₹4 crore |
| Senior Research Fellow | ₹6.5 crore |
| Prime Minister Research Chair | ₹14 crore |
| Scheme allocation (2026-27) | ₹200 crore |
The concept note shows unit cost estimates were prepared using a larger model (based on 143 researchers) even though the immediate target was scaled down.
PMRC governance and selection
An empowered committee chaired by the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) will lead selection and oversight. The committee will include nominees from the Ministry of Education, DST, DBT, NITI Aayog and appointed experts, and will set eligibility and selection rules.
The committee is also tasked with mapping fellows to host institutes, identifying priority countries for outreach, and tracking progress through defined KPIs and a central repository of approved talent.
Timeline, targets and priority areas
The scheme runs from 2025-26 to 2029-30 and was first proposed at the IIT Council meeting in November 2025 . The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹200 crore to start the initiative.
The concept note cites a modest target of 40 researchers over five years, down from an earlier plan for 120 . It lists 14 priority areas including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, energy and sustainability, quantum technologies, space and defence, biotechnology and advanced materials.
What remains unclear
The note outlines broad costs and structure but leaves many operational details unspecified. Tenure lengths, exact number of positions per category, application timelines, host-institute overheads and monitoring cadence are not provided in the document.